Autism and Epilepsy

As a clinical health psychologist, when working with clients, I focus on the interrelationship between their behavioral, psychological and physical health problems. When working with individuals diagnosed on the Autism Spectrum, addressing any physical problems and disabilities is an important focus.   There is a unique interrelationship among behavioral, emotional, cognitive, social and biological components in health and disease and these components need to be addressed and examined in order to promote and help maintain health, prevent further problems and help to rehabilitate in the best way possible. 

With Autism, one of the more common co morbid conditions is epilepsy. Epilepsy is a common and diverse set of chronic neurological disorders characterized by seizures. Epilepsy occurs in almost one third of individuals diagnosed with ASD.  Some researchers say that this suggests an imbalance of neural excitation and inhibition.  If you are familiar with an individual with Autism, you may have noted that excitation and inhibition are two problematic areas and contribute to behavior challenges.

Management of epilepsy requires a multidisciplinary health care team effort and open and ongoing communication between the physician, psychologist and other health care providers. For the person diagnosed with Autism and Epilepsy, these co occurring conditions need to be taken into account with addressing behavioral and psychological issues.  If you are the parent, support and education about how to manage can make a huge difference in coping with the ongoing stress and challenges you face.